Use Kickstarter as a way for everyone to preorder The Poet and the Flea volume one.

Have The Poet and the Flea volume one printed at a local company.

Hopefully get into a summer publishing program at either NYU or Columbia: I’ve been working on the applications for both programs and plan to finish them in January to send them out ASAP. I have no idea if I’ll get in, but I feel I’d learn so many useful skills if I did. If I don’t get in this year, I’ll try again next year.

Next semester, take “Publication Design with InDesign” course at Montgomery College: I’ve already registered!! 🙂 Class begins at the end of January and I hope to learn a lot.

Get back to work on The First Reich: I really haven’t been able to make as much progress as I had hoped on this graphic novel, so I’d really like to dedicate some time to get at least a good chunk done.

Finally go into production for short film Death Is No Bad Friend: We (Siren’s Gaze Productions) plan to launch a Hatchfund crowdfunding campaign starting January 1st and we will continue to apply to grants to try to fund the rest of the film. I have been working on this film since 2012 and would love to see all our hard work pay off!

Exhibit at SPX 2015 (to debut The Poet and the Flea volume one): If all goes well with #1-3 , I’d like to debut The Poet and the Flea volume one at SPX 2015. The Poet and the Flea volume one will be the first book published through my own small publishing company Radiant Pessimist Press (see #9).

Launch Radiant Pessimist Press: If all goes well with #1-3 and #8, then I plan on not only publishing more of my own work through Radiant Pessimist Press, but also I’d like to recruit some fellow artists/graphic novelists to publish their work.

Continue practicing Japanese: I’ve been studying Japanese for over 12 years now and I’d like to continue practicing my skills. I’d like to continue watching Japanese movies and television and start reading more books in Japanese. 😀

Fund and film my first short, Death Is No Bad Friend. I have come very far with this resolution, but I’m still working incredibly hard to see it through to the end! Through Indiegogo, we raised about $3,000 — which is a wonderful start. For months, director Mary Lachapelle and I have been putting together a proposal in order to apply to a number of grants to fund the rest. Although we didn’t receive any money, we made it to the top 20 of the Roy W. Dean Grant, which means we must be headed in the right direction. 🙂 We are currently on Creative District (creativedistrict.com/project/5448), where we could potentially be awarded $5,000. As we continue to apply to grants, we have started working with our cinematographer Jacqueline Lehr on developing our visual approach and aesthetic for the film. We plan on launching another crowdfunding campaign early next year. For more information, please visit sirensgazeproductions.weebly.com.

Work on the next 10 illustrated pages of The Poet and the Flea. In January, I finished illustrating pages 31 through 40 of The Poet and the Flea! As of this month, I have finished inking pages 41 through 60 and have begun shading those pages as well. Furthermore, I have started penciling pages 61 through 73 and hope to finish volume one (95 pages) before July 2015.

Work on the next 10 illustrated pages of The First Reich. A number of months ago, I was able to work on illustrating pages 11 through 25 of The First Reich. I really didn’t get to do as much as I had wanted to for Reich this year. Next year, I really want to get back to work on this amazing project!

Find a publisher and/or agent to represent my work. I’ve had a very tough time trying to find an agent to represent my work. 😦 So early next year, I plan to submit The Poet and the Flea directly to publishers. If this doesn’t work out, I’d like to self-publish volume one as the first book in my own publishing company, Radiant Pessimist Press (radiantpessimist.wordpress.com). I think I’ll use Kickstarter as a way for everyone to pre-order The Poet and the Flea: Volume One. Then, I’d like to premiere the first volume at SPX 2015!

Get settled in Washington, D.C. I think I’m finally getting a bit used to being back in the D.C. area. I’ve been trying very hard to make new friends and keep up with old ones. I have a wonderful new boyfriend who I’ve been going out with since August. I feel like I met many amazing people through DC Zinefest and SPX. I’d like to keep working on this one…

Attend some more film festivals. I haven’t had any time to do this yet, but I figure if we complete Death Is No Bad Friend and enter it into a number of festivals/competitions as we’ve planned, I’ll be able to go then. 😀

Get a decent part-time job and earn a little money. Although I haven’t gotten a steady part-time job, I’m excited to have earned a little bit of money doing what I love this year. I’ve sold more work through my online store and various alternative press conventions than I anticipated. I’ve had a few small freelance projects here and there. I was just hired for a somewhat big freelance job this month, which I am very excited about! It also seems I might have a few more freelance projects on the horizon. Baby steps!!

Perhaps invest in some film equipment and/or filmmaking software. I’ve looked into this a bit, but I haven’t invested in anything yet. This is definitely on the back burner for now, but I’ll keep it in mind.

Very long-term goal: Move to Brooklyn! I’ve been working on this, but it’s still a very long-term goal. However, I might be back in NYC for a while if I get into one of two summer publishing programs I plan on applying for. We’ll see how it goes…!

Film Recommendations: Sanada-san stars in my favorite samurai film The Twilight Samurai (2002). This film has only two fight scenes (one short and one long), but they are both jaw-dropping in their seemingly effortless choreography and will have you on the edge of your seat!

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Disclaimer: I do not own this image!!

Kou Shibasaki (柴咲コウ)

Best known for in the U.S.: Mitsuko Soumain Battle Royale (2000); she was slated to play Gogo Yubari’s twin sister Yuki in Kill Bill, but dropped out due to other commitments.

Notable Accolades: She won a Japanese Academy Award for her performance in Go (2001).

Why is she awesome?: She starred in the first Japanese television drama I ever watched called Orange Days (2004) in which she played a deaf character, performing all her lines in Japanese sign language. Plus, she’s an adorable pop singer (“KISS Shite” by KOH+).

Film Recommendations: Shibasaki-san stars alongside Joe Odagiri in one of my favorite Japanese films called La Maison de Himiko (2005) about a young woman who is asked by her dying father’s young male lover to work in her father’s nursing home for gay men.

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Disclaimer: I do not own this image!!

Rinko Kikuchi (菊地凛子)

Best known for in the U.S.: Mako Mori in Pacific Rim (2013).

Notable Accolades: She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Babel (2006).

Wh is she awesome?: She’s the first Japanese actress in 50 years to be nominated for an Oscar! Plus, she’s appeared in a number of films with Tadanobu Asano (see below) including his directorial debut Tori (2003).

Why is he awesome?: Asano-san is a chameleon, changing drastically from role to role, appearing in every genre, taking on exceptionally unique characters. His friend and world-renown cinematographer (who has worked with such talents as Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh, Tilda Swinton, Colin Farrell, and Ralph Fiennes [another of my all-time favorite actors]) Christopher Doyle believes that “Tadanobu Asano is probably the best actor in the world today.”

Some of these film recommendations might be hard to find outside of Japan. If you’re having trouble finding a title and really want to watch it, message me at gegallas@hotmail.com and I’ll see if I can help! 🙂

Also, for those of you who go see 47 Ronin, leave a comment here and let me know what you think!

Fund and film my first short, Death Is No Bad Friend. This is a ginormous endeavor and I’ve already put so much time and energy into it. Our trailer turned out beautifully and I’m both nervous and excited to launch our Indiegogo campaign mid-January (if everything goes as planned). For more information, please visit and follow Siren’s Gaze Productions at sirensgazeproductions.wordpress.com.

Work on the next 10 illustrated pages of The Poet and the Flea. I’ve decided to dedicate December to this goal! I’ve been working on pages 31 through 40 for the past week or so, and have made much progress. I’m almost done outlining everything in ink and will begin with greyscale markers very soon. If everything goes well, I may even start on pages 41 through 50 this month!

Work on the next 10 illustrated pages of The First Reich. I’m hoping to work on pages 11 through 20 in January. 🙂

Find a publisher and/or agent to represent my work. How? Well, I’ve tried inquiry letters and I’ll continue down that path. But I also want to attend some major book fairs so that I can meet publishers and agents in person and chat with them. We’ll see how this goes!

Get settled in Washington, D.C. Meaning I’d like to reconnect with old friends and make new ones too. Also, I’d like to network with D.C. filmmakers and try to get involved in local filmmaking. This past Wednesday, I met with two filmmakers — Steve and Kate — to discuss a collaborative stop motion animation short film. I’m excited to see how this project shapes up and will post more information about it soon!

Attend some more film festivals. My wonderful time in Cannes has motivated me to expand my experience of film festivals. I hope to attend some local D.C. film festivals as well as perhaps some bigger ones like Tribeca or maybe even Telluride. I also plan on looking into the Creative Minds program in Toronto (though I probably won’t have the money for that).

Get a decent part-time job and earn a little money. This has been a real struggle for me — getting paid versus doing something I love. I really don’t want to settle for a job that has nothing to do with my interests. But everything to do with my interests are unpaid or not enough to make ends meet. We’ll see…

Perhaps invest in some film equipment and/or filmmaking software. I need to do more research in this realm, but I’m interested in learning more about Final Cut Pro, Dragonframe, and other film/animation software.

Very long-term goal: Move to Brooklyn! I do miss New York City and feel that it’s the best place for me as a filmmaker. I’m hoping to start building up a nest egg so that I can eventually move! 😀

This is a very challenging set of New Year’s Resolutions, but you never know until you try! 😀

Once again, I’ve revisited my 2013 New Year’s Resolutions — and I think I’ve done a pretty good job! Some goals didn’t work out and other I’m still working on. But, all in all, I feel that I’ve accomplished a lot this year. 🙂

Coming Soon: New Year’s Resolutions 2014!!!

In the meantime, here’s the breakdown…

Goals for 2013

Complete materials for Elias & The Cityof Cats(hopefully before the end of January) and send out to publishers. I completed the materials for Elias & The Cityof Cats early April. The book hasn’t been picked up by a publisher yet, but I’m glad for the experience. In June, I was hired by Zest Books for a number of freelance illustrations and Scared Stiff: Everything You Need to Know about 50 Famous Phobias featuring 50+ of my illustrations will be released this coming February. 😀 When I get the chance, I’m hoping to write a children’s book myself entitled The Flatulent Earl. And, of course, I’d love to continue illustrating other writer’s work!

Begin working with Masa and Gabe on full-length screenplay collaboration The Blanks (working title), to be finished before June 2013. This project really didn’t go anywhere. But, in the meantime, I’ve helped a few other screenwriters edit/fix their screenplays. So that was an accomplishment!

Send out query letters about my completed full-length screenplays to production companies. I’ve sent out a number of query letters to publishers, agents, etc. about both my screenplays and graphic novels. No success yet, but I just gotta keep trying!!! Next year, I’m hoping to attend some big book fairs in order to scope out and talk to publishers and agents. We’ll see how this goes!

Work on my first zine (possibly a tie in with The Flea) and self-print it. I have succeeded in creating and self-publishing a number of zines this year — “Smithereens,” “The Ink Drinker,” and previews of both The Poet and the Flea and The First Reich. I’ve really enjoyed learning how to self-bind these little books. 🙂 Furthermore, I’ve exhibited these at the SF Zine Fest, SPX, and APE. So I feel very accomplished in this arena. You can check out all my zines and other merchandise at The Poet and the Flea Market (thepoetandtheflea.storenvy.com).

Work on the next 10 illustrated pages of The Poet and the Flea. Then the next 10, and so on and so forth!! This goal is currently in progress! 🙂

Find a reliable and talented director and/or producer to turn one of my short scripts into a short film. Then enter the short film into a number of festivals. I have a whole cast and crew lined up to help me transform my short script Death Is No Bad Friendinto a short film! Currently, we are hoping to launch our Indiegogo campaign January/February 2014 and, if we get funded, film around June/July. This is an extremely challenging project for me and I hope you all will support our efforts! For more information, please visit Siren’s Gaze Productions (sirensgazeproductions.wordpress.com).

Not much happened on the road… But this was the highlight of my cross-country trip!

To my surprise, right next to our hotel in Kansas was this charming 19th-century cemetery. So I thought I’d jump the very short fence with my shiba inu Nikki (who I had to throw over) and have ourselves a little adventure. 🙂

The most interesting tidbit about Tomahawk Cemetery is that there is a total of 65 marked unknown graves.

During a street widening project in the early 1990s, the City of Overland Park identified 30 obvious graves that would have to be relocated to another area of the cemetery to accommodate utilities. Some graves were missing headstones and many stones were illegible… Some of the graves identified had headstones that were moved, and for those missing headstones, new granite markers were be placed. While moving the graves, a large number of unmarked graves were uncovered, moved, and also marked. —Johnson County KSGenWeb